Before I Lived
by The Blood Cloak
Summary: Nalu, Gale, Gruvia, Jerza. Carmody was only trying to go home after something weird on her mission. Now she finds herself in the past, with no help. Carmody must figure out why she is here and a way back home... all before her parents find out!
1. Coming home

**Red-chan: Konichiwa minna! Wow, my first fanfiction! Well, technically this isn't the first one I wrote, but I don't want you guys to see that yet...**

**Happy: Aye!**

**Red-chan: Get out of here you stupid cat! Your not even in the first chapter!**

**Happy: But I'm supposed to do the disclaimer. TT_TT**

**Red-chan: Fine.**

**Happy: Yay! Red-chan doesn't own Fairy Tail or I would have Charla already!**

**Red-chan: Don't add stuff!  
>_<strong>

A smaller than average girl ran up to a familiar building. The girl, commonly known as Carmody, had been on a mission for a week and most likely her parents were worried sick, especially her dad. The 14 yr old smirked and kicked open the doors.

"Mom! Dad! I'm back!"

An assortment of faces greeted the young teen. None of which she knew.

"Who the hell are you?!"  
>_<p>

Fairy Tail was enjoying a somewhat quiet morning. Natsu and Gray had started another guild fight and Erza was getting prepared to break it up when the guild doors slammed open. A teenage girl stood before them. She had long spiky black hair, held back by a sky blue headband. There were 4 metal stud piercings above her left eyebrow. The girl's eyes were a blood crimson.

"Mom! Dad! I'm back!"

The members of the guild just stared at the strange person. The young girl did a double take. She stared around the large hall at the faces displayed in the crowd. In a flash, the shock was replaced with anger.

"Who the hell are you?!" The girl's hands began to glow a soft gray light.

The petite teen's voice carried through the building and everyone who wasn't looking dropped what they were doing to stare at her. A silence settled over Fairy Tail's members. A pretty white haired woman approached the young figure.

"Sweetie, are you lost?"

Carmody stared up at the beautiful barmaid. Where did she know her? She looked a lot like…no. No, it couldn't be! It was Mirajane! The ex-model had to be in her 20s but that wasn't right! The Mira that Carmody knew was 20 years older! Suddenly it struck her. If this was Mira then that meant the other people… She cast an elusive look around the large hall. There were almost all the older members here… Aunt Lucy, Aunt Erza, Uncle Gray…every one younger than her sister! Carmody seemed to realize Mira was still waiting for an answer. She looked into the demon's expectant gaze.

"Um…this is Fairy Tail…right?" Mira gave her a weird look.

"Of course."

"What year?" The barmaid's eyes widened at the most peculiar question.

"The year is x792."

_…Oh shit._

The small mage's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Mira looked on in confusion as she cast a look around the guild. It was one a cornered animal might make. Then with without any warning, the stranger took off. Before she was out of the guild however Mira caught sight of a mark on the right side of her stomach and gasped. It was identical to the sign outside the bar. And the insignia all the members carried.

Carmody sprinted out of the guild, ignoring Mirajane's calls. This was bad. Really, really bad. Worse than the time some dark guild kidnapped her to get revenge and she almost died. A thousand times worse. She had no way out of this one. How did she even get in this situation?

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted three flying cats and cursed. The little teen spotted a narrow alley and shot down it, only to meet a dead end. She spun back to the entrance as the once distant footsteps grew louder and adopted the fighting stance her grandfather taught her.

Not a second later a pink haired man ran into the alley and stopped 20 feet from Carmody. His team closely followed him and a blue exceed hovered over them.

"Who are you and what is your business with Fairy Tail?" he demanded.

"Look, I got lost. I don't want anything to do with your guild." She hoped Natsu would buy it. If she could get out of here, a confrontation could be avoided.

The scarlet haired woman stepped forward. "You entered our guild hall calling for your parents then accused us of trickery. I doubt an able girl such as yourself would would make such claims unless absolutely certain she was home. So, I will repeat my companion's question: who are you and what is your business with Fairy Tail?"

Carmody screwed her eyes shut, the frustration growing inside her. Her stronger sense of hearing was already picking up on more footsteps, as if the tremers in the ground from all the people running weren't enough. "I was lost. Leave me alone. Do you chase every poor confused teenager that wanders in? Gihi." She couldn't help the snicker that passed her lips. The absurd confused looks on the faces of her family though made her howl with laugher. Her amusement came to an end when the rest of the guild appeared one by one at the mouth of the alley.

Including her parents.

A look of terror crossed the young mage's face. Her dad was standing there, glaring. It only reminded Carmody how pissed he was going to be when she got home. To her time. Because by some miracle Carmody was 20 years in the past.

Levy watched as the petite figure's eyes widened at the sight of her and Gajeel. Was there something wrong? Did they know her?

"Shit! I can't get grounded for this! I didn't do anything!" the girl screamed at the iron giant and bookworm. She put her fingers to her lips and whistled so loudly the guild had to cover their ears. Then the mysterious child quickly ran full speed at Fairy Tail. They stumbled back a few paces. She jumped and a small green blur grabbed the back of her clothes and took off. Mirajane Strauss was at the back of the group and was consequently the only one in the vantage point to see when the teenager's coat flapped open and revealed her stomach. For the second time that day Mira saw the Fairy Tail stamp on the mage's skin. She peered after the girl who was quickly becoming a dark spot on the horizon.

'_Just who are you?'_

**Red-chan: MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Carmody: Don't laugh at yourself. You lower your own confidence and morals. Plus, I know for a fact that you are going t-**

**Red-chan: *covers Carmody's mouth* That is enough out of you. Why are you here?**

**Carmody: Mmumah fem muh**

**Red-chan: What?**

**Carmody: *pries off hand* Layla sent me.**

**Red-chan: *****tackles Carmody***** Shut up! Or else I will put you on a train for a week!**

**Carmody: No! Please no trains! *shudders***

**Red-chan: Good. Thank you everyone for reading this story! If you don't like it, I will remove it until its better! You guys are the most important.**

**Carmody: I thought I was...**

**Red-chan: Sorry if this chapter wasn't very long. If you guys like this leave a review. If you didn't, leave one anyway! I won't add another chapter until I get 3 reviews!**

**Happy: Aye!**

**Red-chan: GET OUT OF HERE STUPID CAT!**


	2. Where we stay

**Red-chan: Hey minna! I'm so sorry I'm a week late! Right now I'm in my school's musical and though I don't have a big part, we're still there until 10:00pm. Add that to all the homework and dance practices and other shit and I really didn't have time to update. But I have been working on it for hours today, updating and rephrasing different parts so its better.**

**Layla: Yay! I'm in this chapter!**

**Red-chan: Since you're here can you do the disclaimer?**

**Layla: Okay! Red-chan doesn't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, just the plot line and OCs!**

**Red-chan: *mutters* I won't own you when Hiro Mashima gets off his ass and gets everyone married...**

As soon as Carmody cleared the city limits she was dropped to the ground straight down a magically conscieled hole. She landed in a net at the bottom and was relieved to find the cave she would use for a fort in future years. Her exceed floated down and collapsed on the bed panting. She giggled at the cute face it was making.

"C'mon Jax. I'm sorry but they can't find out who we are." Jax finally managed to catch her breath and glared up at Carmody from her sprawled position on the floor.

"You know I can't go at Max Speed that far yet. I almost want to take you back!" The crimson eyed teenager laughed.

"Yeah and how well do you think it would go when they question me where you came from or who my parents are?" The green she-cat mumbled something even Carmody couldn't hear. She rolled her eyes and grabbed a fresh apple from a basket, taking a bite into it as she checked the supplies there. Her face softened as her eyes found an old picture of the Fairy Tail members. "They can't know Jax. I just found out. I can't make heads or tails of what's happened but Fairy Tail can't know we're-"

"You're what?"

Carmody froze. That voice belonged to a certain mage in the Fairy Tail guild, the only one that would know of the cave's existence at this time. She slowly turned to come face to face with a white haired beauty.

"Aunt Mira!" Carmody scrambled back, tripped over a rock and landed on her backside. She scowled at the stupid stone, rubbing her butt. Mirajane raised her eyebrow at the title bestowed upon her.

"I-I m-mean Mira-" Mirajane held up her hand to stop Carmody. The girl snapped her mouth shut, her normally pale cheeks painted with an embarrased rosy blush.

"You bear the Fairy Tail guild emblem yet I have never seen your face before. Who are you? How am I your aunt? And are you a dragon slayer?" The barmaid gave a pointed look at the snoozing cat.

Carmody opened her mouth to reply then snapped it shut. She bit her lip. What would Mira think if she told her her insane theory? Would Marajane laugh at her? Should she even let anyone know?

"Well," she started plopping onto the bed and throwing caution to the wind, "I know this sounds crazy…"

"I'm used to crazy."

"Like crazy for Fairy Tail standards." Carmody paused to let her words sink in. "My name is Carmody. I'm not from here, if you didn't get the hint earlier. Or more accurately, I'm not from NOW. According to what you told me in the guild, and the proof right before my eyes, I've traveled over 20 years into the past. I will be born in the year x800. And," now Carmody brushed her coat to the side to reveal her stomach and the sky blue Fairy Tail mark Mirajane had already seen twice,"I'm a future mage of Fairy Tail."

The barmaid made herself comfy on the bed next to the girl before gesturing for Carmody to continue her story. They both knew this would take a while. The black haired mage took a steadying breath then started to speak again.

" I can't tell you how I got here. I don't know how I got here. But I can tell you a little about the future. I went missing when I was 18 months old. You used to tell me that my parents went crazy with panic and worry. No one had a clue where I was for 7 years. During that time I was with Grandpa Metal. He taught me dragon slayer magic and cared for me. One day when I was 8, he took me home. To Fairy Tail. I can still remember, Mom bought me this headband I'm wearing and Dad hugged me so tight I thought he would never let go…" Carmody fidgeted with her headband and a wistful smile graced her face. Mira listened to the dragon slayer's tales of her friends, their adventures, and the future. She heard stories about Carmody's best friends Layla and Stephanie, her rival Irene and her dragon, mostly referred to as Grandpa. Mirajane figured out most of the characters she spoke of. Layla was a Helios mage, a rare combination of fire and star magic, and the daughter of Natsu and Lucy; Stephanie used heavenly body magic and a little ex-quip. She was probably Erza and Jellal's little girl. But Irene was a recruit to Fairy Tail. Irene Jablox… a strange name but pretty.

Carmody refused to tell much about herself. She wouldn't admit what kind of dragon raised her and referred only to her parents as Mom and Dad. Mirajane got the distinct impression she was trying to hide their identities but little hints slipped in there. Like how her Dad started a fight with Natsu over who's magic was better. And her mom was best friends with Lucy. As Carmody talked more and more, Mirajane started to get anxious about her parents. It sounded like they had a tough life ahead with a lot of scares. She interupted the future girl.

"Carmody, I know you don't want to talk about this but it could be important. Who are your parents? You call your dragon Grandpa. Is one of them a dragonslayer?"

The teenager stopped talking in the middle of a story about a chimera, a wrench, and a piece of Stephanie's beloved red velvet cake and bolted to her feet. Carmody felt her dragon instincts guiding her thoughts. _Run. Escape. Don't let her know._ And she listened to them. The ex-model followed after her out of the bunker Badass Mirajane had built once upon a time and into the nearby woods. Carmody sprinted harder than she had that morning, dodging trees and low branches. Soon she reached a cliff that overlooked the sea and came to a stop with her toes hanging over the edge. The white haired woman stopped about 10 feet from her and stared at the mysterious girl. The sun was sinking below the water, filling the waves and sky with fire.

"I'm screwed, aren't I? They must know, maybe not Dad, but Mom would have figured it out. Especially after my outburst…" The dragon slayer turned her face to the Demon woman behind her and Mira gasped.

The soft light of the sun threw Carmody's features into sharp relief. Her heart shaped face, the metal studs Mira had all but forgotten, the wild black hair that cascaded down her back like a mane. Her red eyes seemed to glow in the coming darkness. And with a jolt, Mirajane Strauss knew exactly who the girl sitting in front of her was.

"Carmody…Redfox?"

Time skip(sort of)

Layla Dragneel was not a patient person. The only reason she was searching for somebody was because it was her best friend and Carmody always got home within a week or her parents would freak. She knew not to take this lightly but MAN she hated search parties!

"How much longer do we have to look?" the strawberry blonde groaned. Her partner, Stephanie Fernandez shrugged. Her long blue hair flowed down her back in a braid and swung from side to side as she walked.

"Until we find her. Do you have the map? I think we're getting close to the spot where she was last seen." The fire mage grumbled about having to walk to the site of disappearance. Steph rolled her eyes at her best friend's complaining. Layla glanced up and noticed something strange. There was a haze in the air just ahead of them. It looked almost like the air was charged with magic… and they were only getting closer and closer to it. She had a bad feeling about what would happen.

The duo entered the haze and all forest noise stopped. The young mages couldn't hear the birds or the wind in the leaves.

Then, all of a sudden, the two teens felt the ground drop from under their feet and a dark void encased them. Layla tried to take a breath but there was nothing. No oxygen. Shadows started creeping over her vision as she looked around for her bluenette friend. After a few terrifying moments she spotted her. Just as the heavenly body mage lost conciousness.

"Steph!" Layla screamed, releasing all the air she had left. The strawberry blonde realized her mistake far too late as the lack of air got to her and she passed out.

Erza's daughter woke up in a hospital with her best friend. She didn't even need to open her eyes to know. The bluenette could hear Layla snoring from the bed next to her and the smell... Stephanie cringed. She hated hospitals. They always stunk of antiseptic and steel and sometimes blood. She opened her eyes and heaved her legs over the side. Carmody was still missing and they needed to get back on the search. Then the bluenette noticed the date on the newspaper beside her bed…

x792.

This was going to be a long day.

Carmody woke up in her makeshift bed to the smell of breakfast. She rolled her shoulders and smiled at the oldest Strauss's back. For the past three days Mirajane had been coming to the cave at dawn to prepare a morning meal for the young Redfox, once it was made obvious she had retained her father's skills in the kitchen, before heading to the guild. As far as they could tell no one noticed the barmaid's absense. The girl stretched her arms over her head and winced at the loud cracks that followed. Carmody picked herself up and jogged into the woods for a quick morning training session. Grandpa Metalicana had drilled into her brain the importance of practice, and as long as she was in the past, the teen wasn't going to let herself go weak.

A half hour later Carmody dragged herself back into the cave to eat. Mira giggled at the exhausted look on the dragonslayer's face. She had watched the practice with admiration. Carmody was extremely advanced for her age and had attempted to combine Shadow and Iron magic for at least half an hour. _'Yes,_ Mirajane thought,_ this child was a Fairy.'_

**Red-chan: So that's all for today! Hope you guys liked it!**

**Jax: Who's my parents?**

**Red-chan: *sweating* W-Well, uh, you see t-that's-*screams*I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS!**

**Stephanie: No kidding. *to Jax* Your parents died because they were imprisoned and beaten to death by exceed traffickers and Carmody stumbled upon the scene right when your parents were dying. Their last wish was for you to be safe so she beat up the criminals and protected your egg.**

**Red-chan: I'm so sorry Jax... please review if you are against animal cruelty and want it to end!**


End file.
